Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch left his Manhattan residence on Thursday (November 29) on the day a far-reaching inquiry into British newspapers delivers its verdict on how to curb the excesses of the country's notoriously aggressive press.
The inquiry was ordered by British Prime Minister David Cameron following public outrage at Murdoch's now defunct News of the World, a News Corp tabloid whose journalists hacked the phone messages of missing schoolgirl Milly Dowler, who was later found dead.
Exposing the close ties between political leaders, police chiefs and press barons, the inquiry revealed the "dark arts" of journalists seeking ever more salacious stories in a bid to hold up dwindling circulation figures.
Huge attention will be focused on whether Lord Justice Brian Leveson, one of Britain's top judges, recommends a new body to regulate the press with powers enshrined in law, or merely says the existing system of self-regulation should be overhauled.